The slim-down version of Samuels arrived at Cleveland Clinic Courts. The Cavs list him at 6-foot-9, 246 pounds -- down 14 pounds from last year.

"He moves so much better," Scott said. "One thing he tried to rely on last year was his brute strength. He's still strong as an ox. But now he's quick, too. He's been able to go after every rebound. That's something he wasn't able to do last year. A lot of that has to do with his weight loss."

When Samuels returned home to Jamaica, his mother tried to fill him up with fattening dishes.

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"I said, 'No, mom,' and went running," he said. "I was running on the beach nonstop. I was dedicated to come back a whole new player. I just kept working.

"It was just dedication. Part of it was watching my diet and eating less than I usually did. I was working out more. Everywhere I'd go, I'd find a gym, whether it was Orlando or Vegas. I didn't take off any days."

He's expected to back up Tristan Thompson at power forward. Samuels can also give the Cavs some minutes at center.

Samuels, 23, said he's more confident this season, largely because he's in the best condition of his career.

"After two years, I'm starting to finally get it," he said. "I've worked under (Scott) long enough to know what he wants.

"There's definitely a transition coming into the NBA from college. It didn't click right away like I wanted it to. This season, I kind of got it."

Samuels said he doesn't feel pressured to make spectacular plays every time he touches the ball.

He said he wants to alter his game. In the past, he was a black hole on offense. Once the ball went into the low post, it wasn't coming back out. It was going up.

"I'm trying to change my game around to not focus on offense as much and be a presence on defense," he said.

"I know I'm not going to block a ton of shots, so I have to slide in there and take some charges and try to contribute on the defensive end."

He said his body fat is about 7 percent.

"I don't want to get any lower than that," Samuels said. "I'm comfortable where I'm at now. I don't want to be pushed around. I'm hitting the weights and trying to get stronger."

Samuels averaged 5.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 54 games last season. He also spent time in North Carolina over the summer working out with ex-Cavs forward Antawn Jamison.

"He's been hard on me since I came to Cleveland," he said. "This summer, everything I did, he was on me. 'Why are you taking one dribble and not going anywhere? Why aren't you taking that shot right there.'

"He said I think too much on the basketball court. (We) played one-on-one every day. He thinks I shouldn't hesitate (to shoot)."

Hanging with Bolt

Samuels said he grew up a half mile away from Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt in Kingston, Jamaica.

"I definitely want to get on the track with him and learn some things," he said. "I ran into him in Kingston at a hotel."

Samuels said when Bolt ran on his high school track team, huge crowds would gather to watch him run.

"I didn't think Usain Bolt would be one of the fastest men in the world," Samuels said. "It was pretty impressive."

Bolt defended his title in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes in the 2012 London Olympics. Despite those feats, he wasn't much on the basketball court.

"He came and played basketball with us a few times," Samuels said. "He wasn't that good."

Satch coming?

Satch Sullinger, formerly the coach at Columbus Northland High School, said he's been offered a job as regional scout with the Cavs.

His son, former Ohio State forward/center Jared, is in Istanbul, Turkey, for a preseason game with the Celtics.